Question: Is it worthwhile to preach “material” altruism to the world as the first stage of correction?

Answer: In the circulation of the wisdom of Kabbalah, we cannot join efforts with “altruists.” In the best case scenario, charitable organizations give out to the poor what they have managed to get from some others: for instance, flour from one factory, textiles from another, shoes from yet another one. Obviously, it’s nice, although very few are doing this. Most of the time, it doesn’t go farther than talking.

However, what is important to understand here is that we are not improving the world by any of this. In fact, egoism that is destroying it doesn’t get corrected by such actions. By satisfying desires of an egoist, you are ruining him. His needs should be met on the condition that he acquires a profession and does something by using his hands or the brain.

A person has to work to produce something in exchange for the sustenance you supply him with. Otherwise, you are breeding parasites, and billions of people don’t wish to work but expect that you will feed them.

And later, they come out into the streets, complaining that you are reducing their welfare. And they are not the ones to blame since it is you who raised them that way; you developed such an attitude in them.

European leadership itself raised the protesters who are rioting against welfare reduction today. They were told clearly: “Do nothing, and we will pay you for it.” In other words, you yourself made a mistake and now you have to pay for it. Indeed, who will refuse charity that has become a norm?

Man shouldn’t be trained to receive things gratuitously. In doing so, we don’t take his egoistic nature into consideration.

The same goes for children. They have to be aware that you always give them something in exchange for what you receive from them. You constantly teach a child to treat life correctly and train him to work with his egoism. Nothing is gained without an effort.

Surely, children need a special approach, but it has to be based on the same laws. You give them a candy not because they are cute but after they have finished solving a math problem or doing an exercise. Otherwise, you are corrupting a child since now he is going to expect to get everything in life for free. As a result, he is going to grow up a miserable individual who doesn’t know how to live.

Payment is always necessary, among adults and among children. Besides, a person has to know who he is paying, with what, and what is expected of him. Only then will he build a correct attitude to the others surrounding him: He not only receives something from outside, but also gives something in return. Thereby, gradually, a person begins to interact with the entire creation correctly. Then, a completely new philosophy emerges and forms in him.
[30812]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/26/10, “Peace in the World”

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Kabbalah for the Introductory Lecture Series, “Opportunities for Development”
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Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “The Heart Understands”
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If the world provided correct upbringing to the growing generation today, then in 15 to 20 years, we would live among new people, a new humanity. We wouldn’t have to worry about what to do with the adults. Beginning at the age of three or four, we would methodically educate a child to have a new perception, an aspiration to bestowal.

Up to the ruining of the First Temple, the entire nation of Israel was raised and lived by this idea. It is written that from Dan in the north to Beer Sheba in the south, meaning across the entire country, there wasn’t a child who would not know what “in order to receive” and “in order to bestow” meant. In those times, they were following the method received from Abraham upon his departure from Babylon.

We will have to do the same with time, but the opportunity is presented to us even now. In the end, we will teach our children how to get along with each other, how to establish a connection, be friends, interact, and love.

In the present conditions, it is very difficult because children are subject to the modern system of education and all the problems it entails. Yet, we are trying to explain to them that love of others as themselves is a universal law of nature. There is no way to escape it. Resist or fight as you might, in the end, you will only hurt yourself. History demonstrates to us how empires fell, and the victorious nations, after all their triumphs, ended up in the gutter.

Blindfolded egoism thinks that success in a competition brings profit, trophies, and power: “Watch me be a hero!” However, looking farther or even closer ahead, it turns out that this attitude doesn’t pay off. We are bound by nature, and we need reciprocity.

This is why we add to modern, professional education the rule of love of others as we love ourselves. To achieve this, we utilize various forms to present it such as games, songs, talks, debates, and discussions in order to lead children to the new perception of reality.

We find ourselves at the very beginning of the journey. Let’s hope that this year, we will manage to arrange an international educational network that will encompass all our groups around the world. We will produce films, books, and educational brochures, work with psychologists and other specialists, and, in a few years, we will see how our children will benefit from it.

Today, it is simply necessary to develop and expand healthy upbringing so that our children won’t grow up with the laws of the jungle and become misanthropes as it is at present. While growing up, our children will be successful in all areas such as in the sciences, professional preparation, behavior, and in their attitude to society and the world. It will be so because they will internally be equivalent to the Creator.
[26040]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/5/10, “What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends”

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Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “Kabbalah for the Nation,” North Tel Aviv
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Kabbalah for the Nation Introductory Lecture Series, “Why the Creator is Hidden”
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The problem is not that we break a person’s character and spoil something in this world. Rather, by disregarding his or her individual properties, we pull certain parts out of the common correction, and without these parts the whole system will not be perfect.

In spirituality, everything has to be perfect. If the entire huge system is missing one little cell, this makes the whole system imperfect. It presupposes a total mutual inclusion, meaning each one in everyone. Each person includes himself into everyone else and contains everyone in him.

This means that even if one is uncorrected, there isn’t one single corrected soul. If one soul is corrupt, this is felt in all the other souls and in the system as a whole. Each defect is accumulative because, being inside one soul, the defect multiplies by spreading onto all the other souls and influences each soul by multiplying due to their mutual inclusion.

That’s why by protecting individual freedom, the Kabbalists are not looking for beautiful relationships between people, but come from the structure of creation, seeing it from beginning to end. Hence, they say that we can’t do as we wish at a given moment, but have to proceed only from the true form, the corrected end state (Gmar Tikkun).

If we have to reach the end of correction, then, today, we have to treat everyone most carefully, considering his personal qualities as our collective property which nothing can replace. We just have to help each other connect with everyone else. This is how relationships should be in society.

Next, each person has to be given the opportunity to develop toward connecting with the rest. He shouldn’t be developed personally, expecting all types of egoistic successes and distinctions. This is what today’s schools are busy doing. They are not educating a person, but just giving a “professional orientation.”

Instead of this, schools need to occupy themselves with educating a person in society in particular. Thanks to this, all his natural capabilities will develop properly in him because all his genes, hormones, and innate qualities exist only for his connection with the rest. All this is directed only toward society and connection.

Otherwise, they would be invisible to us. We see them only because we went through the breaking. That is, each one’s personal qualities are the consequence of the breaking of the collective soul and can be corrected only through connection.

Really, a person has nothing else to do in this world apart from connecting with others. By doing this, he can develop all his personal qualities and natural tendencies in their most optimum form. This guarantees a blossoming of the mind and feelings in their most balanced form.

Furthermore, through a connection with others, he can absorb from them any number of additional qualities, impressions, and feelings, everything he needs. He will be nourished by everyone, by the entire system correctly, and that will enable him to develop harmoniously and perfectly himself.
[29370]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “The Freedom”

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Baal HaSulam, “The Freedom”: Know, that this [personal tendencies] is the one true possession of the individual that must not be harmed or altered… Thus, anyone who eradicates a tendency from an individual and uproots it causes the loss of that sublime and wondrous concept from the world, intended to emerge at the end of the chain, for that tendency will never again emerge in any other body.

These are exactly the principles on which the system of education has to be based. Children have to be treated as adults; we shouldn’t try to make them into something we want as if they are dough from which we can form any shape we desire.

A person has to be provided with influence that will let him develop his personal properties. That’s why in education, any suppression is unacceptable.

The Kabbalists write about this, and we have to understand the reason why. The protection of personal freedom is a compulsory law because, at the end of the day, we’re not influencing or correcting any one of us. We’re simply fixing the bonds between us.

We all, me, you, and him, have to connect with each other with the right type of ties. Then, in these ties, we will reveal the Light like in resistors of an electric circuit or in the spiral of a light bulb. The connections that will become revealed between us will be called the spiritual world or the Creator; it’s not going to be each of us individually.

What belongs to me personally does not relate to the spiritual world. Only our bonds are spiritual. That’s why the individual qualities of everyone have to stay. If I spoil any quality in me or in anyone else, the connection between us cannot be absolutely correct anymore because this connection requires a “bridge” from his nature to mine.

That’s why the law of protection of personal freedom is not the requirement of a nice “democracy.” It’s a necessary requirement for reaching correction.

From this, it’s clear how spoiled our system of education is: It imposes continuous pressure on children and manufactures trite individuals according to an adopted standard. The attitude toward rearing and education has to be radically changed.
[29377]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “The Freedom”

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The rule of “educate your child according to his way” does not at all imply permissiveness. On the contrary, it is a very strict approach.

“According to his way” means in accordance with the child’s inclination. If a child has a talent for math, put him into a math school and force him to study using all means possible. And if someone has a talent for dancing, let him take ballet classes and do it seriously. “According to his way” does not mean “whatever the child pleases.” If not, where is “educate your child?”

Children should be given only positive examples. After all, we are born with the egoistic nature, as it is said by the Creator: “I created the evil inclination.” No good inclination was created against it, but rather, only the reforming Light which can be attracted by Kabbalah studies.

Hence, when we show a person something bad and say that it is not good to behave this way, he does not agree: “It’s bad, but I want it!” He does not connect the words with actions: He says that it is bad, but does it.

For this reason, it is not advisable to give children negative examples along with positive ones so that they could choose. They will never choose good. They will follow their nature and always be attracted to bad examples and actions in spite of numerous sermons. On the contrary, by seeing only positive examples and discussing them in various formats, we gradually transition to good. Habit becomes a second nature.

What can be considered a positive example? A person sets an example by being strongly connected to the group, inspiring his friends, and acting together with them.

Children should know how to evaluate themselves with respect to the group and their own actions. For this, they need to be given a scale of achievements since otherwise a child does not know how to assess his acts. Bestowing to the group has to have an external form which could be used as a measuring instrument.
[29217]
From Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/3/10, Talk on Education

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If, instead of focusing on each child individually (who he is and what he does), we shift emphasis specifically on children’s connection with each other and on their connection with adults, and if in the process of education we facilitate a person’s connection with his or her environment, then he will evolve correctly internally as well.

Indeed, all of our inner qualities, inclinations, and genes are not subject to correction. They are given to us only to be in contact with other people.

This entire system was created completely opposite to its current state. We were merged into one common desire to such a degree that none of us was noticeable or perceived at all. Only after the breaking of this system did we divide into “me,” “you,” and “him.”

Therefore, our personalities do not demand any correction. They will disappear as we create correct ties and become incorporated into each other.

Only these connections or absence thereof define how a person is viewed by the society and how correctly he works and realizes himself in it.
[29373]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/10/10, “The Freedom”

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